This invention relates to an abrasion resistant, coated and abrasive containing, pipe lining sheet.
Whenever it is desired to move large quantities of liquid material from one fixed location to another fixed location, one of the most economical methods of carrying out such transport is to provide a pipe system from one location to the other. So economical is this method, that in many cases it is even preferred for transporting solid particles in a liquid suspension, i.e., a slurry. For example, in many mining operations it is proving desirable to use pipe systems to transport not only fresh water and acid mine water, but also slurries containing particles of iron ore or other mined material from the mine to the refinery where the ore is processed.
Materials which have been used for transporting such slurries in the past include steel or wooden pipe, both of which are destroyed relatively soon by the abrasive nature of the slurries (hereinafter "abrasive slurries") transported. Stainless steel pipe is a partial answer to this problem, but it is expensive and is also eventually destroyed. One system of transporting slurries involves the use of cast iron pipe, which is rotated 90.degree. on its axis every six months or so, so that a new surface is exposed by gravity to the force of the particles contained in the slurry. Cast iron pipe is heavy, so cast iron pipe rotation is tedious. After four 90.degree. rotations, too, the entire inner perimeter of the pipe has been worn by the abrasive slurries, and the pipe must eventually be replaced. Liners of polyurethane or various types of rubber, of varying thicknesses, have been proposed, but these liners wear away all too quickly. Furthermore, the installation and repeated reinstallation of cast iron is expensive, usually requiring the use of capital equipment, because of the great weight of the pipe.
Another approach to the problem of transporting abrasive slurries is the use of nonreinforced thermoplastic pipe. Nonreinforced thermoplastic pipe is corrosion resistant, but it has a low burst strength, and accordingly cannot be used to transmit liquids under high pressure; and it also wears out quite quickly. Aluminum pipe has a higher burst strength and lower wear rate than nonreinforced thermoplastic pipe, but these properties for aluminum pipe are still relatively unsatisfactory.
To overcome the disadvantages of these types of pipe, it has recently been proposed to use filament wound reinforced plastic pipe (see Coal Mining and Processing, Vol. 8, No. 5, pages 45 and 57-59, May 1971). An example of such pipe is the glass fiber reinforced epoxy pipe made by Fiberglass Resources Corporation of Farmingdale, New York. Even glass fiber reinforced epoxy pipe, however, eventually wears out when used to transport abrasive slurries, when the pipe is not provided with an abrasion resistant lining material.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an abrasion resistant, coated and abrasive containing pipe lining sheet, which can be used to build a superior pipe for transmitting abrasive slurries, or to line a pre-existing pipe to impart additional abrasion resistance thereto.